The Illinois College of Emergency Physicians Shares Suggestions to Alleviate Health System Strain as Omicron Surges
The Illinois College of Emergency Physicians Shares Suggestions to Alleviate Health System Strain as Omicron Surges
Downers Grove, IL —Emergency departments in Illinois are filling with patients who have COVID-19 and other medical emergencies. Seeking routine COVID-19 tests at a testing site and managing mild to moderate illnesses at home can help make sure patients can access emergency care when they need it, said ICEP.
“Never ignore the signs of a medical emergency,” said Chrissy Babcock, MD, FACEP, President of ICEP. “But keep in mind that medical staff and resources across Illinois are getting stretched to the limit. If you are just looking for a routine COVID-19 test, consider visiting a testing site or taking a test at home first.”
Emergency physicians continue to voice concerns about capacity issues, staffing challenges, and resource constraints. As of January 13, 7320 patients were in Illinois hospitals with COVID-19. Of those, 1,148 patients were in the ICU and 657 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that almost 90% of COVID-19 hospitalized patients are unvaccinated.
“Our hospitals are more crowded today than at any other point during the pandemic,” said Dr. Babcock. “Fortunately, those who are vaccinated are more likely to experience mild or moderate symptoms and can treat COVID at home. It is very worrisome that nearly all of the patients with severe COVID in the emergency department are unvaccinated.”
Everyone eligible should get the vaccine and a booster shot. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that unvaccinated individuals are 10 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 and 20 times more likely to die of COVID-19. For the vaccinated, common symptoms associated with the Omicron variant include head or body aches and other similarities with the common cold. This version of the virus may not include a loss of sense of taste or smell.
Other symptoms may include:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Everyone should follow national and local guidelines that include wearing a mask in crowded spaces, social distancing, regular hand washing, and staying at home if you are sick.
“It is critical that we all try to take the steps that we know can slow the spread of the virus. There is a point where there will be no more room in our hospitals, whether a patient has COVID or anything else,” said Dr. Babcock “Let’s do all we can to avoid that scenario and make sure that emergency physicians are available to care for those who are severely ill.”
The Illinois College of Emergency Physicians is the state medical specialty society representing 1500 physicians who practice emergency medicine across the state of Illinois. For more information contact Brittney Tambeau at brittneyt@icep.org.